Door-hanger track and housing



'C. R. MARTIN.

DOOR'HANGER TRACK AND HOUSING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, I9I8.

Patent0 IJu1ie 7; 1921.

stares stares earear creme.

CECIL R. MARTIN, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOE TO FRANTZ MANUFACTURING 00., OF STERLING, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DOOR-HANGER TRACK AND HOUSING.

reac es.

To all whom it'may concern Be it knownthat I, CECIL a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Sterling, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Door-Hanger Tracks and Housings, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to sliding door hanger tracks of that kind in which the track is supported by the housing which incloses the hangers, and in which the housing is made in sections, whereby the track and housing can be of any suitable or desired length.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement whereby the track is integral with the housing, being formed from the sheet metal from which the housing is constructed, so that the lap joints between the sectionsof the housing support the weight of the door directlyon the housing, as will hereafter more fully appear.

It is also an object tails and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efliciency and desirability of a sectional door hanger trackv and housing of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends the invention consistsin matters hereinafter set forth and claimed, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front ing embodyingthe principles of the invention.

,Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on vertical section on Fi 5 is an enlarged detail section on line 1 As thus illustrated, the sliding door 1 is disposed in front of, the doorway of the building 2 in the usual and well known manner, and-provided with hangers 3 of any suitable, known,'or approved character.

The sectional track and housing is composed of a plurality of sections .ofthe kind shown in Fig.4, eachsection comprising an upper vertical web a, an inclined web 5 in-.

tegrally united to the lower edge of said R. MARTIN,

to provide certain de-- 6183 2131011 of a sliding d mountedjon ti l track and ho'us- 'struction shown and described, practically Specification of Letters Patent. Pztijfilltd J 11118 7, 1921. Application filed June 20,1918. Serial No. 241,045.

vertical web, an outer web or bulging wall 6, and a lower trough-shaped portion 7 ,these I walls and portions belng all integrally formed from one piece of sheet metal,such as sheet steel, pressed or otherwise given the proper shape. At one end, each track and housing section is displaced outwardly to form an overlapping portion 8, which is in shape exactly like the body of the track and housing section, but a little larger, whereby this overlapping portion is adapted to receive the straight end portion of another section, so that the inner surface of'the entire combined track and housing is flush and smooth, notwithstanding the lap joints.

which arethus provided between the telescoplng end portions of the sections. qEach end of the vertical web 4 is provided with holes 9 and in this way each lapjoint is providedwith two holes'which register at the upper endof the joint, and bolts 1 10 are. inserted through these holesto secure the track and housing structure tothe a part of the housing itself. With the track and housing sections thus fitted, together, and taking into account that the portions 7 and their inner edges 11' bend upwarda dis tance, so that each overlapping portion 8- curves upwardly around the end of the next section, it is obvious that the sections, cannot be relatively displaced at their ends. .The'. sections are held together at their upper edges by the bolts 10, and at their lower edges by the semi-tubular formation of the] sections themselves, so that the. 'difiterent sections of the track formed by the portions 7 cannot get out of alinement, and provide a smooth and flush surface over which the wheels of the door hangers travelwhen the door is opened and closed Preferably, the upper web 40f each section is provided with a groove or longitudi-l, nal distortion 12,.the groove being on'the:

The lapwj'oints inner surface and the bulge being on the outer surface of the sheet metal, whereby therwebs or vertical walls 4 are rendered sufficiently stiff for the purpose of rigldly supporting the track and housing in position on the building. M

With the foregoing construction, it will be seen that no brackets or hangers are necessary for the track and housing, inasmuch as thelap joints provide integral connections between the sections and stiffen the housing sufiiciently to prevent sagging thereof under coupling together and supporting the ends I of the sections, but also obviates the necessity of using either a separately formed or separately mounted track of any kind, the gutter-shaped bottom portions of the housing. sections themselves serving as the track for the wheels of the hangers. Itwill be understood, of course, that the combined track and housing sections can be of any suitable or desired length, and that for some purposes, and under certain conditions, one section of the desired or proper length will be sufficient. In other cases, however, a plurality of sections will be combined to form a track and housing of the desired length.

The outwardly displaced or ofiset portion 8 may be of anysuitable or desired length, de pending on the length desired for the overlap, or the size of the lap joints, the weight of the door, and other things. In any case,

however, the sheet metal at this point is "preferably displaced or offset to an extent v exactly the thickness of the sheet metal itself, so that the shoulder 13, where the offset terminates, will engage the end of the next section, and will be in exact alinement therewith, whereby the entire inner surface of the housing will be flush and smooth. Also, the track 7 can be of any suitable or desired formation, but is preferably channel-shaped to make the track stiff and strong and capable of sustaining the weight of the door, and to keep the Wheels of the hangers from getting off the track. Also, it will be seen that the end of one track section 7 overlaps the other, to form the sectional track, and that these lap joints between the track sections are not fastened together, but simply depend upon the bolts 10 and the general stiffness and rigidity of the housing sections to hold the ends of the track sections in alinement to provide a smooth path of While 7 travel for the wheels of the hangers. In cross section the combined track and housing is semi-tubular, being open at its inner side, and is of oval formation, so that it presents the appearnce of a flattened tube having its inner side wall displaced and turned up to form the attaching web 4 previously described. But the short curve of the track portions 7 merges into the longer curve of the outer wall 6, and the top is curved at 14 between this wall and the inclined wall 5, so

that the oval is complete, practically, except for the inner side thereof, and this formation 7 insures the requisite strength and stiffness for the housing under the weight of the door.

The holes 9, it will be seen, form provisions in the double thickness of the upper portion of each lap joint for attachingv the sectional housing and track to the buliding. Moreover, each lap joint extends from the horizontal upper edge of the structure to the inner edge of the track, so that relative dis placement between the telescoped ends of the sections, in any direction, is prevented by the lap joints themselves, and-without the insertion of any rivets or bolts or other fastening devices, with the single exception of the bolts 10 by which'the sections are secured to the building, and by which the sections are connected together.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a door hanger track'and housing" structure for supporting sliding doors, a

plurality of sheet metal housing sections, a V

sectional track on said housing sections,-in-

tegral therewith, so that each entire track and housing section is formed fro'ma single piece of sheet metal, and a door hanger traveling on andsupported entirely by said track, the ends of said sections being lapped one upon the other and secured together, thereby to provide a lap-joint between adjacent sections, and to stiffen the housing against sagging under the weight of the door, so that the housing. sections are in themselves sufficient to support said track,

the lap-joint thus formed by the integral ends of the sections havingprovisions at the upper end thereof for securing the housing to a building, and the tread of said track being formed in cross section to both stiffen the structure and prevent lateral displacement of the hanger therefrom.

2. In a device of the class set forth, a combined housing and track to inclose and sup-v port the hangers of a door, consisting of sheet metal sections secured together and cut longitudinally into the desired ShapeneceSsary to support the entire Weight of the door andhaving transverse integral reinforcing members provided at intervals along the length thereof to support the housing and track,-

the track being integral with the housing,"

so that each entire track and housing section is formed from a single piece of sheet metal, these integral members following the cross sectional shape of the sheet metal sec- 7 track being shaped to form a gutter in which the hanger travels, so that the end of one track section rests in the end of theother track section, and whereby one entire section telescopes within the end of the other section, so that the track sections are held against lateral relative displacement.

5. A structure as specified in claim 2, said members extending continuously from the upper edge of the housing to the inner edge of the track. I

6. In a sheet metal door hanger track and housing, an upper flange for attachment'to the building, an inclined top wall extending outwardly from the lower edge of said flange, a curved side Wall supported by the top wall, forming a wide and shallow trough shaped front wall, so that the front of the housing is outwardly convex and inwardly concave, a curved bottom forming a narrow trough shaped track, and integral means at intervals in the track and housing to stiffen the sheet metal, the combined track and housing thus formed of sheet metal being oval in form when viewed in cross section, with the inner side of the oval left open and omitted below said flange, in combination with a hanger having a wheel supported and held by said track against lateral displacement, and 'with the shallow inner trough of the front wall forming clearance for the side of the hanger, in which the said track and housing are formed of sheet metal sections, with the end of one section telescoped within the end of another section, and with integral lapping end portions to sustain the weight of the door. I

' Signed. by me at Sterling, Illinois, this 20th day of May, 1918.

CECIL R. MARTIN. 

